Intravenous needles and cannulas, also referred to as venous access devices, must be secured to patients to prevent dislodgment during medical treatment. The term needle will be used herein to refer to both needles and cannulas. The location of the needle insertion point or points on a patient vary with the type of medical treatment and the location of a suitable vein. Such locations include for example an upper arm, a surface on the outside surface of a hand, a wrist of a hand, a lower arm or an inside of an elbow of an arm. In dialysis treatment, a special site is typically created to provide for a strengthened vein, most commonly in the forearm and less frequently in the leg, to repeatedly accept two large needles and provide for sufficient flow of blood. The special site is created by joining a vein and an artery and is called a fistula and receives two arterial-venous (AV) fistula needles. In any of the above mentioned locations, it is very difficult to keep the needle secured to operate satisfactorily. In dialysis treatment, where the treatment is prolonged, repeated frequently, and two large needles are used, the problem of securing the needles is exasperated.
It is of the utmost importance that the needle or needles be kept under surveillance to check for proper operation and potential dislodgment or leaks of fluid. The most prevalent method to secure needles is to apply adhesive bandages and or tape to keep the needles in place. Unfortunately, bandages and tape can frequently obscure the view of the needle insertion point and needle assembly. Furthermore, many patients cannot tolerate prolonged or repeated applications of adhesive bandages and tape to their skin and have or develop an allergic reaction to adhesive bandages and tape. It has been known that patients who undergo dialysis treatments several times a week for a prolonged period of time can exhibit blue and black spots on their skin because of such an allergy to the adhesive and the continuous application thereof. Other solutions such as arm boards with straps around the location of the needle to keep it in place are not satisfactory because they severely restrict the movement of the patient. What is needed is a device that secures one or more intravenous needles, such as two arterial-venous fistula needles, securely in place, provides for observance of the treatment location, allows for some movement of the patient and does not require adhesive bandages.